All Over Again
by What-You've-Got-Is-Gold
Summary: Marino High was a nightmare for Ally Dawson, thanks to Kira Starr, the devil herself. Then there was Austin, her crush that she didn't stand a chance with. But what happens when ten years later she is faced with the same obstacles leading up to her brothers wedding with the girl that made her life a living hell? Will sparks fly between her and Austin? *Based on the movie You Again*
1. We Are The Champions

**So...my brain decided I should start a new story. Stupid brain :( As if I don't have enough.**

 **Anywho, I have been wanting to do this for a while. In case you didn't fully read the summary (I do that a lot so you're not alone), yes this story is based off a movie.**

 **You Again is a great movie and very funny so that's why this story is more on the humorous side, which is something that I have some trouble writing about sometimes because if you've been reading Bus Boy...you'd know.**

 **I'm going to try to make it somewhat like the movie. So I jotted down some similarities and differences that I want to do so I kind of have it figured out although I am kinda writing it as I go. I wish I actually had the movie so I could watch it again before I wrote this…**

 **Alright I think I'm done rambling for now. Here's the first chapter :)**

 **P.S. There might be someone you recognize from my other stories so keep your eyes open…;)**

* * *

Ally's POV

It was funny how fate worked.

You just so happen to be at the right place at the right time, and it dawns on you that how in a few seconds your life could change- good or bad. And when it's good, things will start to look up. Then this happens.

 **2006**

" _We are the champions, my friends,_

 _And we will keep fighting till the end…"_ sang Kira Starr as her and her many minions carried me outside

" _We are the champions,_

 _We are the champions,"_ they continue to sing. A few seconds later I find myself outside in the parking lot of Marino High with the doors locked, but that didn't stop from singing loudly so I could hear through the glass.

" _No time for losers."_ She put her hand up and shaped an L on her forehead.

" _Cause we are the champions…_

 _Of the world."_ She turned her back and started to walk away, everyone else following her and laughing.

I desperately banged on the glass window, knowing it was useless because the bell had just rung and I knew for certain Kira wasn't coming back. So I gathered my stuff together and sat on the sidewalk, putting my hand on my jawbone, unsure what to do.

Suddenly my heart melted a little when I saw him. He had to be one of the most popular boys in my whole school (which wasn't saying anything really considering Marino High wasn't that big): Austin Moon. He had just came out of his car, late. This was an unusual occasion because he was never late.

I had liked Austin Moon since middle school. I remember once I tried out for the cheerleader squad. I tried my hardest to keep up with the other girls but when I saw Austin in the football field, running with the football close to him. I looked at him. He was so perfect.

But reality hit me when one of the girls kicked my mouth hard, causing me to descent to the ground and hold it in pain. And in case you were wondering, no, I never became a cheerleader.

Anyway, I noticed his blond hair was matted. He must have realized it too because he quickly put a hat on. I smiled. He had a big ego back then. When Austin shut the door of his car he made his way past me without saying anything. I caught a whiff of his cologne and I thought I might fall over.

I was so caught up in my thoughts about how much I wanted this boy to be mine that I didn't realize he was trying to open on the door.

Clearing my throat, not being able to process that I was actually talking to him, I said, "The door is locked." _Obviously smart one_ , I scowled myself. The funny thing was that I was actually smart. I was in honors, and I guess in this day and age when you're smart people think something was wrong with you. But I was starting to realize it wasn't how smart I was, it was the way I looked:

Glasses, pimples, braces...the typical nerd starter pack.

"Were you late as well?" he asked.

I wanted to tell him that I had been literally picked up and thrown out of the school but I decided against it. He and Kira were friends, and I didn't want to hear the whole _Kira_ _would never do that_ lecture. Especially not from him. "Er...yeah," I said slowly. I was always a terrible liar.

He looked somewhat amused as he eyebrow raised as if he didn't believe me; as if he just _knew_ I was lying straight to his face.

"Alright, then," he said quickly, pulling out something from his pocket.

"What's that?"

"A paper clip," he answered. "I'm gonna try to pick the lock." His hazel eyes sparkled as if he was such a rebel. Turning his back to me, I stood up and watched him try to pick the lock, and believe it or not he actually managed to do it. He opened the door for me like any gentleman would and I thanked him quietly, my heart melting even more.

We parted ways to our different classes. I knew the only other time I would see him was at lunch. I was a junior and he was a senior, which ironically was best friends with my brother Elliot. I never told him about my huge crush on Austin and I wanted to keep it that way.

* * *

Later that day lunch came around and I always sat alone. I couldn't sit with Elliot because he sat unknowingly with all the people that bullied me. Once I got my lunch and now on my way to sit down, Kira was drinking her juice as she passed me with a smirk on her face.

I watched her go, still walking. If would have just focused on what was ahead of what happened would have. What happened? Well, I bumped into someone, spilling all of my food on them. Austin Moon out of all people.

I let out a gasp of surprise, my voice coming out high and squeaky. Noodles, bracli, fruit and a brownie stained his t-shirt. Everyone burst out laughing in the cafeteria. There was only a few that didn't laugh. And by a few I meant Austin, Elliot, and me.

* * *

"Ready for the game?" Elliot asked me excitedly, leaning on my door frame.

I nodded. "Just let me get changed." I was part of the basketball game. It was the first game of the year and I was a little nervous.

Sort of.

I was the school mascot.

The manatee.

Oh the humanatee these days.

Hehe.

It was the first game of the year and I was a little nervous. I don't even know why I was so nervous because all I had to do in the game was just be a manatee and dance around, supporting the game. It wasn't a hard job, really; the only real problem I had was it was 1) it was really hot and 2) Kira was a cheerleader. And she knew who was behind the manatee costume. This made me even more anxious.

It wasn't long in the game when I did something dumb for the second day because of _her_.

The game was going quite smoothly until I heard her yell "get out of my way". I stumbled backwards and straight into Elliot, who was about to make the basket. Only when I took the manatee mask was when I realized I was the reason he didn't make the basket. I was the reason his team lost. And I felt terrible.

I saw Kira approaching me. "Nice going Dawson," she growled, about to leave but she turned back. "And by the way, you looked prettier with the mask _on_!"

Then she walked away, leaving me in tears.

* * *

Later that night I was laying in bed, thinking about what I could say. Elliot had ignored me after the game. He didn't seem angry, more disappointed. I leaned over the years of being his sister. He was a guy of many faces, and I could tell the difference between his angry one and disappointed one.

Suddenly I sat up when I heard little footsteps running up stairs. "You come back here mister!" I heard my mother laugh as the footsteps increased, and I inferred they belonged to her.

I smiled when I saw my little brother quickly running into my room with only a diaper on.

Yeah, I was the middle child. It wasn't so bad. Sure Patrick was a pain at times I loved him a lot. He was a...surprise. Two years before Mom and Dad thought they were going to be empty nesters in a few years, Pat came along. Let's just say that Mom and Dad went out for a "romantic evening", had more than one sips of wine, rented a hotel, and...yeah. Mom was as shocked at I was. I was the first to find out. Being the only other girl in the house I took her to get a pregnancy test, and sure enough it came out positive. I was going to have a sibling. When she told Elliot he was really excited, I was excited, too. Dad looked like he didn't know _what_ to think, but he than smiled and hugged her. I was worried we were going to have to move because we only had three rooms but we made room. Of course Patrick roomed with me and Elliot, being the older sibling, got a room to himself.

Patrick looked a lot like me. At least that's what everyone said. When you looked at him carefully one could clearly tell that we were related. He had that same brown hair and doe eyes that I had. But his personality was completely different.

As Patrick caught his breath, he gave me a signal to be quiet. I smiled and nodded, and he hid behind me.

"Oh where oh where is Patrick?" Mom asked, obviously knowing where he was. "Ally, have you seen my youngest son?" she said as she entered my room.

"Not at all," I smirked. This was normal for us, by the way. I heard Patrick giggle.

"Are you sure?" Mom asked, amusement in her eyes as she got closer and scooped Patrick up. "Got you!"

"No Mommy! I don't wanna take a bath!" Patrick giggled in protest.

"C'mon now, the water is already getting cold."

I followed them into the bathroom, deciding to talk to Mom about Elliot. "Hey, Mom," I said, knocking gently on the door. I heard the cloth ring out and I knew by now she was scrubbing Patrick's belly clean.

"Yes sweetie?" she asked and I entered the bathroom.

I leaned against the sink. "I feel like such a screw up," I'm murmured. I was angry at myself. "About the game, I mean."

"Oh honey," she smiled, "we all make mistakes. I'm sure Elliot will forgive you. Just talk to him. He's in the tree house I'm sure."

I sighed. "Okay. Talking things out will be better than just sitting here in feel bad," I thought aloud.

"Good luck. And remember, no matter what he is your brother and he will always love you. As I will." She kissed my hand.

Smiling, I made my way out of the bathroom and downstairs where Dad was reading the newspaper, and into the backyard and up the tree house, where I found Elliot. He was tossing his basketball up and down.

I took a breath. "Hey," I said softly.

"Hey," he said, not turning his back.

Frowning, I sat next to him. "What are you up to?" I knew I should have apologized right there, but I couldn't seem to find the right words.

"Nothing. Thinking," he said hasily.

I frowned again, nudging him, deciding I should start apologizing for something that could have been avoided if it weren't for a certain someone. "Look, I'm sorry. I...I know how important that game was to you. Especially being the first day of the year, that's big and...and I should have stood up to those girls that called me ugly…"

He immediately looked up when I said that. "Which girls where calling you ugly, Ally?" he demanded, dropping his basketball.

If I told him it was Kira he wouldn't believe me. Everyone, I including the ones that bullied me, thought she was perfect. "No. No I-" I began to protest but he cut me off by standing up.

"Because I can take care of them right now," he said sternly. I knew he could do it. He was always looking out for me. But that was mainly back in middle school. I no longer told him about how terrible I felt. I decided to keep it all in.

"It's not going to change anything, okay?" I mumbled. "You look the way you look. They're right anyways."

"Ally, look at me," he said.

My eyes met his and I can't tell you how much his words changed the way I looked at myself.

"If only you can see how amazing you are," he whispered. "If only you didn't beat yourself up for things that wasn't your fault. I just wish you could believe in yourself like everyone believes in you. Because once you learn to love yourself, it's harder for those girls to get to you. You'll be a harder target. When someone calls you a name or does anything- mentally or physically- make sure to smile and say _thank you_."

* * *

I thought about his words all that night. And truth be told till this day I still do.

As always, Elliot was right. When I started to push away my insecurities and focused on the things that really mattered I became more confident.

So, from then on, I stopped caring what people thought. Everyday I reminded myself that it was a new day. I used Elliot's strategy to get me through the rest of high school. I was still bullied, but when I said thank you they would look at me like I had grown a second head and leave me alone. Later in life I ditched the glasses and got contacts, and my time was finally up for my braces.

When I received my diploma I couldn't stop smiling. After that was prom, where I didn't have a date but I went with the few friends I had. It was fun. When I saw Austin spinning around some girl I got this sad feeling in the pit of my stomach knowing that I was never going to see him again.

But here I was today, in 2016, in this horrible situation I was in, I ruined my brothers wedding, ruined my chances with Austin that I thought I could've had; and somehow along the road I found Kira Starr in my house in the middle of the night eating oreos and spray cheese, asking for forgiveness.

If you want to hear all that happened in the last two weeks, you'll have to bear with me.

Because it's a long story.

* * *

 **Finally I'm done! I hope you liked this. I know it doesn't have much Auslly right now but it will pinky promise *holds up pinky***

 **On a side note, WHO'S EXCITED THAT PATRICK IS IN THIS STORY? MEEEE! If I were to have one of my OC's knock on my door it'd with out a doubt be Patrick Dawson.**

 **If you've ever seen You Again please let me know in your review! :)**


	2. Home

**Hey guys! I'm back. Just to be clear this is ten years later so Ally is about twenty five. And she's getting on the plane to go to the wedding; she still doesn't know Elliot is marrying her bully from high school because she thinks it's a different Kira. You'll see, sh just read XD**

* * *

" _Gate B14 is now boarding_ ," called an announcer through the speakers, making me jump. I was in the middle of reading my book (that was getting really good by the way).

I took a breath as I made my way into the corridor. The line was long and I bit my lip in anticipation. I felt really antsy. For one thing, I was never fond of airplanes. I feared I was going to get in a terrible crash in the ocean or the jungle. It wouldn't matter though because I would be dead. And if I wasn't, I wouldn't survive a day in the wilderness.

The other thing was the more obvious reasons.

I was going to meet my future sister-in-law. I was sure she was nice by the way Elliot and everyone else talked to her. All good things, of course, despite her name. Kira. Every time I heard that name I shuddered. I couldn't help but think of the Kira Starr from high school. _That's not possible,_ I had told myself in advance when I got the call that Elliot had finally proposed to his four year girlfriend. _That can't be._ Besides, Kira sounded much sweeter than _she_ ever was.

Shaking my head, I gave the flight attendant my ticket. Gripping the handle of my suitcase, I entered the corridor.

I was going home. I hadn't been home to Miami for a long time. After I graduated, I moved to New York to study at Columbia University in Manhattan, where I found a nice apartment and lived with my friend Trish, who I was missing already. But it's not like it'll be forever; just two weeks. Mom bought my ticket for me, telling me she didn't want me to miss the bridal shower or the bachelorette party (something I had never been too). She also told me that on Wednesday we were going to dancing lessons, which was four days from now so in that time I could catch up with family and get to know my new family. Kira. I shuddered again. _Stop it!_ I told myself.

As I boarded the plane, I nodded and smiled to the pilot and took my seat, which was the window seat. I sat there for a moment, my hand cupped in my chin as more people got on and a man sat next to me. I was going to miss New York. A lot. It had really become a home to me; it was just starting to snow, and Miami never got snow. All at once I was happy that I was going to see my family again after what seemed like forever.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, deciding to call Mom to tell her I just boarded and was taking off in about ten minutes. She answered right away.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mom."

"Hi sweetie!"

"I just wanted to call," I said, "to tell you I'm on the plane."

"Oh. I'm glad you did. We're all so excited that you're coming! Kira can't wait to meet you."

I shifted. "Yeah? I'm excited to meet her too," I smiled. It wasn't a lie, really, I _was_ excited to meet her. "I still feel bad that I've never met her."

"I'm sure she doesn't mind. You know what's funny? You all went to highschool together."

I cocked my head. "Wait we all went to highschool together?"

"Mhm. I'm pretty sure you guys had classes together back in the day…" she said. I could tell she was looking up and thinking. "I'm pretty sure there was only one Kira in the school because Marino High wasn't that big." She sounded more certain now and there was a small pause. "Well, I have the yearbook right here, I'll check."

There was a few moments of silence through the other line other than pages flipping. I swallowed hard. _Please let it be a different Kira_ , I prayed, biting my lower lip again.

"Yep," she said. "Only one. Kira Starr. Do you remember her, Ally?"

I didn't answer. I felt myself go pale. Memories replayed and replayed in my head, along with _We Are The Champions_ , like a broken record. It was all coming back to me. Everything came back from ten years ago. And it hurt to think about it. I had been trying to erase her memory from my brain for so long and now I couldn't stop thinking about it. It felt like I had been sitting there, thinking about it, for hours but it was only a few seconds. "No!" I protested, ascending up so quick that I felt lightheaded; my head hit the roof of the plane. "NO!"

I was getting _off_ of this plane.

Screw this.

 _Screw_ this.

I tried telling myself to calm down and that I was overaggagerating. But it was just so hand to process. Elliot was marrying Kira. _Kira._ Kira _Starr._

I made my way out, taking ahold of my the man's head to heave myself out of there. "Sorry," I apologized rapidly. He looked angry but I shook it off, ready to leave but I bumped into one of the flight attendants.

"Is there a problem mam?" she asked.

"Yes. Yes there is." I took a breath and checked her name tag. "Jessie, I need to get off of this plane," I said, faking a smile. "I just found out that my brother is marrying the girl that single handedly ruined my life in high school so can you please BACK OFF?" I yelled.

"Mam, please just take your seat."

"Please, I-"

"Is there a problem here?" a deep voice asked from behind me. I turned around to see a strong, buff man in front of me. He was tall and had dark hair and brown eyes and his shirt read _security_. But I was too angry to be afraid of this man that looked intimidating.

"IS YOUR BROTHER MARRYING YOUR ARCH NEMESIS?" I asked rather loudly, causing everyone to turn their heads. It was quiet for a moment in the plane and the only thing I heard was a baby crying.

The man gave me a _what the hell is wrong with you_ look and I felt myself shrinking.

* * *

"Pretzel?" asked Kevin, the security guy.

Before I knew it I was sitting in the back of the plane with the Kevin with handcuffs on on my wrists as if I was some sort of psycho. Maybe I _was_ acting like a psycho.

The plane had took off about ten minutes ago and I started rambling on to the security guy about my problems, which I was certain he didn't want to hear."It's just frustrating!" I continued my ramble as I chewed my pretzel. "I mean, there a _billions_ of people in this planet and I get stuck with the antichrist as my sister-in-law!" I sighed. "Just my luck."

"So your brother didn't know about Kira?" he asked.

" _No one_ knew," I said, bitterly laughing. "I decided not to tell anyone. I was a freshman ever since she started bullying me and Elliot was a sophomore. I wouldn't expect him to get in the middle of my stupid drama with her. I mean she's the main reason I moved, so I could get a fresh start, away from it all."

Kevin looked at me and heaved a sigh. "Listen, things have changed since then. You are not the same person you were ten years ago. You are going to stay strong. And hey, it's only two weeks." He paused and smiled. "In that time, you are going to show Kira what you're made of."

I nodded. "Right. Right right. Yes." I took a breath. "Yes. I can do this."

Kevin patted my shoulder and smiled again. "Now _that's_ the spirit!"

I smiled at him. I guess he really _did_ listen to me.

When I finally got off the plane, I grasped my suitcase and made my way to the parking lot where I found my mother followed by Patrick, hot on her heels. "My baby is home," she sobbed, hugging me tightly. So tightly that it was hard for me to breathe. "Five years is too long!"

Once she pulled away my eyes met Patrick's. "Hi Pat. How did you get so tall?" I asked.

He shrugged, smiling, and I hugged him. "I call shotgun!" he was about to race to the car but Mom stopped him.

"C'mon, get your sisters bags," she said, "be a gentleman!"

Patrick rolled his eyes as he took my suitcase. " _Kira_ always let's me sit up front!" he protested. I shuddered again at her name. "We do everything with Kira."

"Oh come on we don't do _everything_ with Kira."

Patrick looked like he didn't believe her as he made his way to the car.

"You're home!" she squealed, squeezing me. My teeth clenched and it was once again hard to breathe.

* * *

When I arrived at my childhood home I smiled to myself. Only then I realized how much I missed it. "Lester she's home!" Mom called.

Dad appeared from the kitchen. "Hi sweetie!" he said, hugging me tightly.

"Oh my God you look great you're so thin!" I beamed. Dad was always short and stocky and now it looked like he had lost a ton.

"I've been trying a new diet for the past few months," he told me.

"Ah," I nodded. "Hey, where's Elliot?"

"He'll be here soon. He went out to get his tux with his best man."

"Oh. Okay," I said, smiling despite that way I felt. I desperately tried to persuade myself that Kira had changed. Even if she had changed, I still expected an apology.

"Ally, why don't you get settled in while Dad starts dinner?" Mom asked. "I'm sure you're jet lagged from the long flight."

"Yes," I nodded, making my way upstairs.

"We made a bed for you in Elliot's old room!" she called from the bottom of the steps.

"Okay," I called back, making my way into Elliot's old room where there was a bed with my old sheets. Next to the bed was my dresser with a my old lamp on it. Across from the bed was my desk where I spent hours studying for finals because that was the type of person I was. I set my suitcase on my dresser and the suitcase on my bed. As I unpacked I couldn't stop thinking about how out of all the girls in this world Elliot chose _her_. He could get any girl and he chose her. I just don't understand.

"Boo!" I heard someone shout. I jumped, dropping my clothes. I turned and saw Elliot. "Don't scare me like that!" I scolded, swatting his shoulder.

"You know you love me," she smiled and I hugged him.

I rolled my eyes. "You're my brother, I have to love you." _No matter who you chose to marry. Even if it's Kira freaking Starr_ , I added to myself, somewhat irritably. "You look gorgeous!" he beamed.

"Thank you," I blushed.

"I can't believe it's finally happening. I'm getting married. Remember we were up in that tree house, swearing we would never get married. I guess things change, huh?"

I nodded slowly.

I looked up when I heard a strangely familiar voice."Hey, Elliot, where's the…"

I froze when I saw Austin Moon, and when he saw me his eyes widened.

The moment I saw him my heart just stopped, and melted all at once. Old memories flashed through my mind. Old _feelings._ I haven't thought about him in years. And now that he was here in front of me all of it was coming back. My stomach did little flip flops and I felt sick. I spent so much time in high school thinking about him when I should have been paying attention. He was so out of my league.

"Ally, you remember Austin, right?" Elliot asked.

I smiled a little. Then I decided to play it cool. "A little bit, yeah."

"Woah, Ally, you've…" he smiled a little. "Grown up."

I tried not to feel disappointed. "You've grown up, too," I said awkwardly. But he really had. He was taller, more muscular, and his hair was a little longer and shaggy.

Austin ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, uh, where's the bathroom?" He turned to Elliot.

"Straight down the hall," Elliot told him.

Austin looked at me and smiled. He bumped into the wall. "I-I...me hit the wall." He laughed nervously and made his way into the bathroom.

"Oohhh!" Elliot nudged me, wiggling his eyebrow. "He likes youuuu!"

"No he doesn't!" I felt myself getting defensive and angry, kind of like on the plane. "He's just being...friendly!" I crossed my arms.

"Someone's defensive," he laughed.

"I'm not getting defensive you're getting defensive."

He protested but I plugged my ears with my hands. "LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"REAL MATURE!" he howled with laughter.

"Dinner is ready children," Patrick's amused voice said. He was leaning on the door frame, smiling. "And Kira's here."

That got Elliot to leave me alone. He raced down the stairs, leaving me to think about all of this.

"You okay?" Patrick asked.

"Just peachy," I said through my teeth, pushing past him and slowly coming downstairs with Patrick hesitantly following me.

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem on the edge."

"Everything is fine. Don't worry about it," I dismissed. When I got downstairs I heard talking and laughing coming from the kitchen. I heard voices that I hadn't heard in a long time. Those voices belonged to Austin and Kira. I didn't hear or see him come downstairs but he must have in the middle of Elliot and I's bickering. I felt myself heat up when I realized he must have saw me acting like an idiot.

When I got to the kitchen the first thing I saw was the back of Kira's head. She was washing her hands in the sink. She turned her head and the light reflected on her as if she was some kind of an angel. But she was the exact opposite. _Who are you fooling? She's beautiful!_ a voice rung in my head, hurting my ear drums.

"Hello, Kira," I said meekly. _Get it together!_ "You...You haven't changed at all since high school."

"Ally, Ally, Ally," she said slowly, getting closer to me and I tensed,

I nodded. "Yeah, that's me…"

"There's just so much to say," she continued.

"Yeah but I don't want to do it in front of them," I whispered the last part.

"I've been waiting so long to say this."

"You think _you've_ been waiting? Because I've been waiting for quite awhile…"

"I just wanted to say how great it is to finally…" _Here it comes! The apology._ "Meet you!"

 _What?!_

She hugged me and took both of my hands. "I can't wait to spend the next two weeks learning all about my brand new sister!" she squealed. "Yay!"

Everyone was smiling.

Everyone but me.

I noticed that the reason they were smiling because of their admiration for Kira.

I noticed Austin was smiling, too.

Except he was smiling at me.

In spite of the situation I was in he was still smiling at me with a tilted head. I suddenly realized how bad I still have it for him.

 _He still is perfect. Kevin was wrong about one thing. Some things never change._


	3. Takeout, Anyone?

Patrick and I set the table for dinner. Well, mainly me. All he did was complain that people could just get their own silverware. "Oh shush," Mom scolded.

"Some people don't know where everything is yet," I pointed out.

"Really?" Patrick asked. "'Cause the five of us have lived here our whole lives, and Austin and Kira are here all the time."

Mom and I both just sighed. "Would you just do it?"

"I can help Mrs. Dawson," Austin offered.

"Ally and Patrick know what their jobs are sweetheart," Mom warmly smiled at him. I was smiling too, realizing I still had it bad for him after all of these years. "But thanks."

Frowning, Austin slumped in his seat while Patrick snorted in amusement. "Why do you wanna help with the boring stuff, anyway?" he asked as he went for the potatoes and seat them on the table, then getting a serving spoon, plopping it on the mashed potatoes.

"I just wanted to help," Austin said.

"We've got it," I assured, nodding towards him and he smiled and nodded back.

"Okay."

"Ally can you get the plates?" Patrick grunted. He was carrying Mom's potato salad, spinach, salad and yams in his hands. You'd think it was Thanksgiving dinner by the looks of it. Except Dad cooked chicken instead.

"Are you crazy?!" I scolded, knowing Patrick he was going to drop every bowl and they would shatter into a million pieces for our dog, Snowflake, to eat. I could already hear her little bell on her collar jiggling as she tumbled down the stairs excitedly when she heard food.

Snowflake was a black lab. We first got her when she was a puppy and Patrick was about five. Mom and Dad said it'd be good for him to have a "little friend" because he was nervous about starting kindergarten. So what do they do? Buy him a _dog_. Now I like dogs and adore Snowflake, but was it really necessary to get him a dog just because he needed a friend? He would make friends at school. I knew he would because he's just a sociable person. It was love at first sight for those two. Snowflake had always been Patrick's little shadow.

Incase you're wondering, we named her Snowflake because we realized that she had a speck of white on her ear that looked like a Snowflake.

"Snowflake! Snowflake!" Patrick had cheered, jumping up and down.

But there was no time to think about that old dog now, I had bigger fish to fry. "Give me the bowls before you break them!" I shouted.

"I got it," Patrick said in annoyance, approaching the table but I stood in his way.

"Do you need help?" Kira asked, standing up.

"It's fine, I got this under control," I said quickly.

"Do you?" Patrick asked sarcastically.

"Yes, I do."

"Ally it's really no problem," Kira said, standing up and helping Patrick with the bowls.

A millions thoughts raced to my head at once that could have been avoided if I just let Kira help. Maybe everything would be fine. But it wasn't. Before I knew it food was everywhere I didn't know what brought me to do it, but I was so determined to help Patrick with the food that it ended up spilling all over the place. I didn't know if I wanted to prove to Austin how good of a sister I was or what.

To sum it up, Snowflake had entered the kitchen, I tripped over her on my way to try to help with the food, causing me to crash into Kira and Patrick, trip on Snowflake _again_ , fall backwards and onto the table, where my body had destroyed the _rest_ of the food. Bowls were shattered and food was everywhere.

I was so embarrassed.

I don't think I'd ever been so embarrassed in my life, and I've been embarrassed a _lot_.

Everyone had different looks towards me and I didn't feel so hot when everyone stared at me. I didn't like that kind of attention. The only person that didn't seem to look somewhat angry at me was Austin. In fact, he actually looked like he felt _sorry_ for me. I didn't want that either. I was more angry at myself than they were at me.

Well, Kira didn't look angry either. She looked close to bursting out into peals of laughter.

Mom was quiet while Dad just was glaring at me and shaking his head in disapproval.

Elliot clenched his jaw, looking void of emotion.

The only person that looked truly mad was Patrick, who was the only person besides me that got the most food on him. His head was covered in yams, left arm had potato salad, left had spinach, and salad pretty much everywhere. He was scowling at me. One thing I'll tell you about that boy, he hated getting dirty.

Snowflake was beginning to have have a feast just below Patrick's feet. "Snowflake, no!" Patrick scolded, and when he tried to show her away she just licked the yams off of his head and wondered into the living room.

I laughed nervously, trying to lighten the mood but no one except Kira seemed to be amused. "Heh, uh, takeout anyone?"

* * *

To my surprise, we got actually got takeout. Kira, Patrick and I had to all take showers first, though. "Ally, you could take the first shower," Kira smiled, patting me on the back and leading me to the bathroom as if I didn't know where my own bathroom was.

"I'm so sorry about all of this. I'm really embarrassed," I told her. Okay, maybe I was being fake too, but at least she didn't know that. On my defense it wasn't a total lie. I was embarrassed and I felt bad for pretty much everyone but Kira because she deserved it. I _knew_ she remembered me. You can't ruin someone's life and just forget it ever happened. No way.

As I stripped and got into the shower I tried not to think so much, but you're brain never stops thinking. I can't help but feel that I was never going to get a proper apology from Kira. And if I couldn't get along with Kira that would not be good on Elliot's end. That was why I really tried to suck all of it up and pretend we were complete strangers.

It was hard not to tell anyone. I might tell Patrick. But he'll give it away, I thought. That's why I said _might._

Technically it was _his_ fault I ruined dinner. _He_ was the one that was carrying way more than needed. "Ally, hurry up! The food is going to be fifty years old by the time you're done and I wanna eat!" Patrick called, pounding on my door and I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up!" I called back, realizing that I hadn't done anything in the shower but contaplate the situation in.

* * *

I narrowed my eyes when I saw Elliot holding out a chair for Kira and he sat next to her. But I smiled when Austin did the same for me. "Thanks."

"No problem," he whispered, his breath tickling my neck.

Throughout the whole dinner they were flirting, and it made me sick. It was hard to even be AROUND them. And I'll tell you, you can't PAY me to watch Kira feed Elliot his pizza.

"So, Ally, tell me about yourself," Kira smiled, going for a bread stick.

 _You know plenty_. "Well, after I graduated high school, I moved to New York and went to college there. After that I never really left," I said and she nodded. I knew if I wanted to get her to at least admit that she remembered me I was going to have to pretend to be interested in her life. "Enough about me. I just wanna know how your wonderful life has turned out since high school." _Suck it up. You can do it._

"Me?" Kira asked, taken off guard. "Well…" Elliot put his arm around her, almost sympathetically. "After high school ended I realized that I wasn't making the best choices," she sounded serious. Was she referring to making my life miserable? "So I got a job at Hooters"- _Hooters? Really?_ "-to pay my way to get into a good collage."

"Is that where you met Elliot?" I asked flatly, giving my brother a look.

She nodded. "Mhm, and he's the greatest thing that came out of that job," she smiled, kissing him and Patrick and I had similar disgusted expressions. I didn't believe Mom and Dad at first when they said how much Patrick and I were alike, but as he got older, I started to see it. "And now," Kira said, looking a little happier. "I'm studying at the University of Miami to be a nurse."

"We are so proud of her," Mom smiled and Dad nodded in agreement. A whole conversation started and went for about twenty minutes of how proud they were of Kira and when she called my father "dad" I had had enough.

I frowned. _Get used to it. She's already moved in on your family. She fits in better than_ you _do,_ I 's looked at me, eyes full of pity as always. I was annoyed that he always looked at me like that, but I couldn't help but admire his georgous hazel eyes. He did things to me.

* * *

Once dinner was over, I excused myself, about to go upstairs but I was surprised when I heard Austin's voice. "Hey, wait," he grabbed my hand. "I was going to head out soon. You wanna go for a walk before I leave? With…" he licked his lips. "With me?"

 _He wanted to go on a walk with the girl that ruined everyone else's dinner?!_ For some reason I got really excited. So excited that my mouth got dry. "Uh...yeah! Sure! Of course!" I laughed nervously as an attempt to calm down. "I would love to."

"Great!"

Mom winked at me and I blushed. "W-Well, let's get going. Get shaken! Shakey shakey boom boom!" I swayed my hips back in fourth as the words came out for my mouth. Everyone stared at me as though I had grown a second head.

"Never do that again," Patrick said dryly, slowly shaking his head.

I put my head down, now just striaghtup embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

Austin looked amused. "It's fine. You ready?"

Nodding, we exited the house and went outside. "Ugh, I'm so fuuulll," Austin groaned, holding his stomach. "I probably gained fifty pounds!"

I laughed. "I think everyone feels that way when they eat stuffed crust pizza."

"I guess so."

It was quiet for a few minutes as we walked until I decided to speak up. "So uh, what's been going on with you lately?"

He just shrugged. "Nothing much, really. After high school I got a job at Hooters and…"

"Really?" I laughed.

"Kidding," he grinned. "I got a job at a place in the mall part time. It's no career but it's better than nothing. I live in those apartments down the rode with my buddy Dez. We pay half and half of the rent so part time is okay."

"Is Dez coming to the wedding?" I asked.

"Yeah," Austin answered. "He went to Marino High so you might remember him."

"Sounds familiar," I murmured. "Was he that redhead kid who always carried weird things in his backpack?"

He nodded. "That's the one," he chuckled.

"Austin?" I asked after another few minutes of silence.

He stopped. "Is something wrong?"

"If I...If I told you something would you promise to keep it a secret?" I was going to tell him about Kira.

"Sure, what is it?" His smile made me just wanna...I don't know. A millions thoughts raced to my mind when he asked that. What if he didn't believe me? He and Kira were friends, right? What if he sided with her?

I sighed, knowing that it was a bad idea so I had to come up with something else believable to say. "I…" I knew the perfect thing to say, but it just wasn't fully the truth. Before I knew it the words poured out of my mouth. "I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I had a pretty big crush on you back in high school."

He cocked his head, the smallest of blush forming on his faced as he put his a hand on his neck. "R-Really?"

"Yeah. But it was stupid. I'm over it."

And that, my friend, was one of the biggest lies I've ever told.

* * *

 **Hope you liked the chapter! Because I don't XD Sorry I've been kind of dead lately on FF but I did get the Promises rewrite done if you haven't checked it out already. I would appreciate if you did because it's not doing to well and I worked hard on it :(**

 **Please don't tell me you've forgotten about this story! I would hope not because that'd suck and this should be pretty easy for me considering it was based off a movie, but this chapter doesn't really relate to the movie except a few tiny details.**

 **Okay this is getting kind of long and I really need to go to sleep cause I have to wake up early tomorrow and get in a car for EIGHT HOURS so wish me luck! :D**

 **Stay gold 💕 Love you!**


	4. Lookout? Check! Evidence? None

We walked for about another half an hour without talking to each other. Admitting I had a big crush on him in high school was beyond stupid and I wouldn't be surprised if I scared him away by saying that.

At least he was still walking with me, right? By the time we reached the park I was getting tired. He glanced at me every so often as if he was worried I'd take off and leave him. I was surprised it wasn't the opposite and that _he_ would run off and leave me. "You wanna sit down?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, just for a few minutes, and I think I'll head back. I'm sure you need to get home soon, too.'

Then he nodded. "So, did you and Kira know each other?" he asked, sitting down on the park bench.

"Erm, well, kinda. We had a few classes together. We were friends, yeah," I lied. How many lies can I tell in one day? "This one time we worked together on a project and went to the mall. We got a bunch of clothes and…"

"Why are you lying?" he interrupted me, looking at me seriously.

"I'm not lying." _Another_ lie.

"Damn, you are so _bad_ at it," he mused. "Hasn't anyone taught you how to lie before?"

I frowned, knitting my eyebrows. "My parents never taught me to lie."

"Well," he stretched his arms and made himself comfortable, "you don't learn from your parents, you learn from people around you."

I nodded in understanding. "What gave me away?"

"The tone in your voice, mainly," he explained. "And I've seen the way you look at Kira, and it's not the way everyone else does."

I know I wasn't the best liar, but what I didn't know what that he was actually going to put me on the spot for it. "Oh, um...well…" I shifted. "Let's just say we didn't really get an along in high school."

"Did something happen?"

I tried to think of another lie (I was getting out of control!) but it wasn't working, even if your brain was always thinking. "She…" I took a deep breath.

"You don't have to tell me," he said before I could say anything. "But if you do, I'll keep it a secret."

I stayed quiet. If I told him I worried he'd blurt it out then everything would be ruined. Part of me knew no one would believe me if I told them about what Kira did to me back in high school. Another part of me told me to let it go.

"I don't think it's the best idea. If anyone found out...it could hurt people. But if they don't, it could hurt someone else." Either way I felt selfish. I couldn't tell them without hurting them, (if they believed me) but at least they'd know the truth. If I didn't tell them she'd continue making my life a living hell. I just _knew_ it.

"I understand."

 _No you don't. No one can. Only the people that witnessed it._

 _Evidence._

 _That's what I need. Evidence._

* * *

It was almost impossible to sleep.

I just laid there, thinking about everything that was going on right now. Fate really was funny. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Kira was going to be my new sister, and her and Elliot's kids will be half of her. It would be like having a devil for a niece or nephew.

 _Stop thinking about it. Sleep._ I turned to my side, almost wishing I was back home at my apartment. So what if she snored at night? It was better than thinking about Kira Starr marrying my brother.

Deciding there was no point in trying to sleep, I threw the comforter off my body and going downstairs, where Mom and Dad were watching TV. I snuck past them and went to the backyard where the trampoline and tree house was.

A light coming from the tree house illuminated the darkness. As I climbed up the latter leading to the tree house, I wondered who was up there. Probably Patrick. We didn't put a light in there when we built it. Not to my knowledge.

For what seemed like forever I finally reached the top I realized that the light I saw was a lantern, hurling myself up and once I got there I saw Patrick playing on his DS (he didn't have phone even though I heard him begging Mom and Dad at least a hundred times today). "Hi," I said, clumsily making my way towards him.

He looked up at me for a moment, let out a quiet "hey" then looked back down at his game. Was he seriously still mad at me about dinner? I decided not to mention it and just make small talk.

I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. "It's kinda cold tonight, huh?"

He nodded quietly.

I looked at my surroundings, just now realizing how different the tree house looked. "Wow. You really cleaned up this place. Hey, who made the lantern?"

"Kira," he answered quickly, then let out a groan and I inferred that he died.

I was groaning on the inside. "Oh," I replied, unsure of what to say.

Patrick didn't look at from the screen. "I thought you said you were going to bed."

"I was," I said.

"Was? Is everything okay?" Finally he put down his DS and met my gaze.

"Everything is fine." Other than Kira marrying Elliot, I told myself silently.

Patrick eyed me carefully, as if he didn't believe me. "Ally…"

"Patrick you just have to trust me on this."

"Well," he stood up, patting at his jeans. "I'm going to find out what's going on with you one way or another."

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean by that Pat?"

He shrugged. "I know you don't like Kira." This sounded familiar. He must've been taking notes from Austin to know when people are lying.

I pursed my lips. "Er...not exactly."

"Why?"

I decided I might as well tell someone I trusted; not that I didn't trust Austin, I just knew he wouldn't believe me. But Patrick knew I was honest and if I were lying he could tell. When I told him about Kira, his jaw dropped.

"No. Way."

I would have laughed at his antics if I wasn't being serious. "Yes way," I said seriously. "And I need your help."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to be the eyes of this oporatuon. Can you do that?"

"Uh…"

"Listen, I just need you to help me look out for anything strange Kira does."

"Like…?"

I tried to think of a good example. "Hmm...oh! Like if she eyes as if she thinks she better than me."

Patrick snorted. "Ally, have you lost your mind?! I'm not gonna be your 'little lookout' just so you can get your high school revenge."

"I will pay you $20."

"$30."

"Fine, $30, you happy?"

"No, you happy?"

"No."

"Deal!"


	5. Dancing Lessons And Ant Bites

**Hey guys! So I looked up the script for the movie and I found it. So if you see anything that's EXACTLY like the movie don't be surprised (and be prepared for it in future chapters as well). I'm still trying my best to not make it exactly like the movie because I don't want it to be boring. That's the last thing I want. In a way it is kinda good if you haven't see the movie so it'll surprise you but just know that some of it is not my actual writing. Most of it is, but some things I just really wanted to put in there and other things like I've done I would just word it differently. Let me know if you recognized it!**

 **And one more thing: this chapter doesn't have that much Auslly in it. I'm going to try to squeeze it in at some parts but there won't be much. Just a fair warning.**

 **Okay I'm rambling onto the story! :D**

* * *

I was awoken by laughing and talking coming from downstairs. I _really_ wasn't a morning person. All I wanted was just peace and quiet for a little longer until I had to get up. Today we didn't have any plans that I knew of, so at least I wouldn't have to really do anything so I could just be in my pajamas all day. Reading my book and eating pickles in bed was my definition of a good time.

Slithering down the stairs, I entered the living room where everyone was, including Kira, looking at pictures from the old photo album. "Morning sweetie," Mom said before pointing and smiling at another picture while I grunted in response. Her face brightened and she suddenly looked like she was going to burst out laughing. "Hey! Check it out, Ally. The Hawaii trip. Remember when you got nailed in the face by that baby octopus? You were like... _It wouldn't come off!_ She was so sad. She was so brave, though. She was so brave."

I blushed in embarrassment. I remembered that trip. I was only about fourteen when it happened; the summer before high school started. It was a fun trip all and all, other to the trip to the hospital that day which kind of ruined the experience for me.

They turned the page, continuing to look for a few more moments until Mom looked at her watch. "Oh, guys, we have to go! We have to be at the dance lessons by 11:30 and we gotta pick up Grandma and Kira's Aunt. She just flew in last night from California."

Wow, I overslept. "Dance lessons?" I asked, tilting my head. "I thought that wasn't until Wednesday."

"Oh," Kira said, "we had to switch around the days because my bridal shower is Wednesday."

I nodded, trying my best to smile but every word that came out of her mouth just made me _angry_. Even when she sounded nothing but nice to me. Everything she said just seemed to make its way into my skin and seep through me, taunting me. No wonder she had my family so fooled. She was a good actress.

I glanced at Patrick, now remembering our deal that we made. He was looking at Kira carefully and looked around awkwardly, looking unsure what to do. That's when I realized that I didn't really give him that much to do. The job I gave him wasn't something I could use for advantage. It was something that I could see myself.

And yet, I was paying the kid $30 for a job that I could have done myself.

"Alright everyone! Chop chop!" Mom put the photo album on the shelf and clapped her hands together. "Ally, you can ride with Elliot and Kira to pick up Grandma. Dad, Patrick and I will pick up Kira's Aunt and we will meet you there at the dance lessons."

Of course.

* * *

For the first half of the car ride I was trying to untangle my hair. Even worse, Mom didn't give me any time to get ready so I didn't even have my contacts in.

"Sorry that we had to leave so early," Kira apologized sheepishly. "You'll have plenty of time to wash up at Grandmas. We are visiting for a few minutes. You can use that to your advantage."

"Er...okay. I don't think that'll help the fact that my contacts aren't in, though."

She didn't say anything as she reached for Elliot's hand, eyeing me through the rear view mirror. She looked at me as if I was going to take him away from her. As far as I was concerned, her and my brother were inseparable; she had him wrapped around her fingers.

I gasped and looked down at my shoes, not wanting to make eye contact. Did she love him? I asked myself. Truly, like the love Mom felt for Dad? I knew Elliot loved her, a lot. But the more I thought about it the more I wanted to protect him from her.

"So, where did you pop the question, Elliot?" I asked, trying to make conversation. Hey, I'm trying.

He smiled, playing with her fingers. Elliot may not have known the truth about her, but he sure knew how to treat a girl. "Actually, well, I...I proposed at the tree house."

Aw. How romantic...

 _No!_

"The tree house?"

"It's my wedding gift to Kira. I'm having it moved from Mom and Dad's to our new place, once it's finally built, that is," he explained.

I completely freaked out. The tree house was _ours._ Not _hers._ Why didn't he just get her a dog or something? I mean, I wouldn't mind if they even took Snowflake! Kira has already moved in on my family, and now on my family history!

"You're moving the tree? You can't move the tree house, Elliot. You and I built that with Dad with our bare hands. That's like, Dawson family history!" I exclaimed.

"Ok Alls, how about when you come in town, you can come visit it at our place, kay? How's that?" he asked, looking at me through the rear view.

I heaved a sigh. I opened my mouth to just say "fine" but Kira interrupted me. "Oh, honey it's our song!"

They started singing some random love song that I didn't know of. At this moment I really wanted my ear buds, but when I reached for them my pockets were empty of my phone and my ear buds.

It got even worse when I looked out the window and saw Marino High. My heart started to race and my eyes widened when I saw Kira and her minions carrying me outside and throwing me on the sidewalk. I tried to blink but the image just wouldn't go away. "Hey, l-look, i-it's Marino High," I said, forcing a smile. "So many...fond memories." My brain hatched an idea. "Regrets, too. What about you Kira, any regrets?"

"Me?" I knew she wasn't expecting me to ask _that_ because she looked dumbfounded. "Of course I...I'd do things over." She cleared her throat. "Maybe get a head start on my community service and charitable outreach programs." The only reason she was saying that was because she knew she could never admit what she did to me with Elliot sitting next to her. Unless...she didn't regret it.

"Huh," I said, nodding, pretending to be interested. "That's good."

"Good doesn't even begin to discribe it," Elliot smiled.

I mentally rolled my eyes. "I would've gotten a boyfriend."

"Who?" Elliot smirked. "Austin?"

Though Elliot read my mind, I shook my head definsively. "No!" I swallowed, then I said more quietly. "No. Someone more in my legue, you know? Hey, Kira, you had lots of boyfriends in high school, didn't you?"

"I-I wouldn't say _lots._ Like maybe two or three..."

"Ah, maybe I'm getting that confused with another girl on the squad."

Kira nodded vigorously. "Yes. Yes let's go with that."

I cocked my head. "Yeah? I heard that she would always use a guy just for a the fun of it and drop him the next day. Do _you_ know who that girl was, Kira?"

"That was a long time ago, there were a lot of girls on the squad."

"Yeah," Elliot agreed. "And what exactly is your point Ally?"

"No point. Just wanted to know."

It was silent for a moment. "Mind if I change the station?" She didn't wait for an answer and before I knew it the worst song in the world came on.

"We are the campions, we are the champions," Kira sang. "Can you turn it up Elli?" She asked, and he did. I knew exactly what she was doing. "Don't you guys just _love_ this song?" She pulled down the rear view mirror again, smirking at me as she sang along (her voice was terrible by the way) and put on more lip gloss.

I shook my head slowly and looked out the window again. _Don't make contact. Don't make contact,_ I told myself throughout the whole ride.

* * *

For what felt like forever we finally got to Grandmas. When Kira rang the doorbell Grandma peeked out her window, a smile on her face as she whispered Kira's name as if she was some sort of Goddess or something. She took the time to notice Kira, but no one these days seemed to take the time to notice _me_. It was almost as if Kira was in this huge music video with everyone dancing and having a good time with her while I was just one of those people in the background. The kind that no one acknowledged or even saw them because their main focus was the singer on the music video.

I knew I shouldn't have felt that way; I knew I was loved but ever since I got here it didn't feel like it. It almost felt as if I had been replaced. Grandma hugged Kira first, of course, then me. "Hi, Ally-cat."

"Grandma Shorty, hi! How are you?" I smiled for the first time that day. We always joked that Grandma was shrinking by the day. One day when Patrick was about four, he called her "Shorty" and the nickname sort of stuck. In case you're wondering, her real name was Lilian.

"Oh, fine fine. Still alive." She paused. "Into the kitchen everyone, you're just in time for Grandma's cookies."

I smacked my lips together in delight. You can argue all you want about it, but Grandma Shorty's cookies are the best in the world. As we sat down I was literally sweeped off my feet because I had missed the chair. (Mind you, I could barely see anything without my contacts.)

"Be careful, honey," Grandma said hasily, helping me up then going to the oven to get the cookies. "Now, what's going on with everyone? How's the clinic, Kira? Are you still doing community service?"

Kira nodded happily. "Yeah! Just the other day a little boy who fell off his bike and scrapped his knee. Poor thing was in tears. The worst part was it was on his birthday."

"So what did you do?" Grandma asked.

 _Let me guess, she went out to buy the kid a birthday present?_

"Being the amazing person she is," Elliot started, "she cleaned up his knee and got him a ballon and a lollipop."

"Aww," Grandma smiled.

"You think I'm amazing?" KIra said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Of course I do." He kissed her temple, causing Grandma to go "aw" again and for me to resist the urge to gag.

"It's crazy. You three had grown up on the same street and went to the same high school, and yet, your paths hadn't crossed until now. Isn't it funny?"

I slammed my hands on the table. Grandma knew what she was talking about. "It's _halarious!"_ I laughed, and everyone looked at me strangely. "I-I mean isn't it?" I felt myself going red for the second time that day. "It's just so...mind blowing! Right? That Kira and I _never_ have crossed paths _until now_. What an odd _coincidence._ " I looked at Kira.

"Why, I suppose it is," she said, looking uncomfortable as she bit into her cookie.

Elliot cleared his throat. "Okay, we should get going Grandma, we don't wanna be late." He helped her up.

"I can help you get ready," Kira offered.

"That'd be delightful," Grandma smiled.

"Oh, you've done enough," I said, linking arms with Grandma. " _I_ can help her get ready."

"Don't be silly Ally, I-"

"Well, she's _my_ Grandma Shorty. By _blood._ "

"Please," Kira laughed. "Blood doesn't matter."

"Alright girls," Grandma said, pulling away from us. "You two do rock paper scissors."

I sighed. This always seemed to be Grandmas sulotion for everything since we were young. "Ready?" Kira asked.

"Yeah," I said impatiently.

"Rock paper scissors shoot!" we said in unision.

I quickly picked scissors, while she picked paper. "YES! WHO'S THE CHAMPION NOW?!" I exclaimed. "ME!"

Kira laughed the fakest laugh I've ever heard and nodded.

"Well, c'mon dear," Grandma Shorty guided me to her room. "You can hold my teeth. They're getting a little loose." Before I knew it Grandmas fake teeth were in the palm of my hand. _Ew._ Suddenly I wished I picked paper. "So just dab this on..." she squeezed some sort of gale substance that I inferred helped the teeth stick. "Alright, we need a tight seal. We don't want them falling off the dance floor!"

"I don't think...I don't know how-"

"Honey, they're dentures, get over it! Now make sure you put it on tight. I may be kissing today."

I would have laughed but I was too disgusted. I would bet you anything that if Kira were to help Grandma, she wouldn't have to do this. Grandma wouldn't make her.

"Okay, uh, here we go." I slowly made my way in.

"Hurry up dear! We'll be late!"

"Okay, o...okay!" I quickly attached it to her gums. "There we go, all nice and tight." Then I made the mistake of putting my hand on my hair.

"Uh oh!" Grandma said. "Hold on, I know what to do!" She reached for the scissors and grabbed ahold of my hair. "Hold still!"

"GRANDMA! NO!"

 _Snip!_

* * *

I studied myself in the mirror of the camera of my phone. I realized that this was exactly the way my hair looked in high school.

Great.

When we arrived at the dance place, the first thing Mom looked at was my hair. "Did you get a haircut?"

"I really don't wanna talk about it," I murmured. "Let's just go inside. Please."

Mom nodded. "Well, okay then sweetie. It looks good, anyhow." I could tell you right there that _that_ was a lie. "How was Grandmas?"

"Fine," I sighed. "When she wasn't fawning over her new BFF Kira..." I grumbled.

"Oh, your grandma loves you. Don't turn everything into a competition."

When we walked onto the dancefloor I saw an older woman about Mom's age talking to Kira. _Her Aunt,_ I remembered. Mom muttered something under her breath then turned to Elliot and I. "That's Thelma, Kira's Aunt." Something about the tone in her voice made me nervous. She seemed to spit out every word she said. "Why don't you go say hi?"

"Er...Alright," I said and Elliot followed me.

"Dude," he whispered in my ear. "Did you hear Mom? She seemed so bitter when she talked about Thelma. Do you think somethings up?"

"Between her and Thelma?" I asked. "No...no..."

Elliot shrugged. "You never know I mean everyone has secrets."

"Yeah..." I mumbled, looking at Kira who was now talking to the wedding extraordinator.

A few minutes later she came in front of us. "Hi everyone, I'm Trina Williams and I am your wedding extraordinator! Now, since Elliot and Kira first said "I love you" at the Mardi Gras, I have choreographed a Brazilian Carnival Lambada dance , this dance number is the forbidden dance that bestows good luck and fertility"- _I am going to puke. I'm begging to to get me a barf bag_ -"on the happy couple and now, I'm gonna teach it to y'all. Let's get this party started!"

I danced alone, of course. This was the kind of dance where you needed to be with a partner. It wasn't like The Cupid Shuffle where you could do it solo yet usually there was a group of people but you know what I mean.

"Oh! Ally!" Kira said quickly as her and Elliot danced. "Sorry about this. We were expecting more people," she frowned.

"No problem." _I'm used to it anyways._ Just as I said that, a familiar voice echoed the dancing studio.

"Hey Dawson!"

"Oh, hey Austin!" Elliot said, fist bumping him. I tried really hard to dance by myself without looking awkward in front of him.

"Sorry I'm late, my stupid car wouldn't start. I had to walk," Austin explained, running a hand through his hair and I melted inside. Even when he looked hot and sweaty, he still looked cute.

"What about Dez?"

"He was complaining that his stomach hurt. Something about eating too much jelly donuts or something."

I giggled. That was Dez for you.

"At last!" Trina's voice came from behind me. "For every lovely lady their is a handsome gentlemen. Ally, I want you to dance with Austin. And you two," she made her way to Elliot and Kira, "I want you to work on your bride and groom dance."

"So...what am I doing here?" he asked awkwardly.

"Uh, I'll just teach you what we learned." We got into the position Trina taught us. "It's...your left hand, foot, goes... forward, together, back and together. Forward and together, back and together..." I honestly had no idea what I was doing. It was almost hard to focus for those few seconds when his body was pressed up against mine. It felt so warm and safe. To my surprise he didn't ask about my hair, which made me feel a little better considering most people kept on asking about it.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I stepped on your foot!"

He laughed. "That was your foot."

"Oh. I...I knew that," I bit my lip, feeling myself blush in embarrassment.

Again.

* * *

Patrick stood over me in my bed where I was lying, my feet aching from the dancing. "So I'm guessing you didn't get your apology?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I don't think there's gonna be an apology. But she remembers me. I _know_ it. This is hopeless Pat." I sat up in my bed.

"C'mon," Patrick said, shaking me. "We still have another week."

"That's not very long," I pointed out. "We need a new plan."

Patrick sat down next to me, thinking for a moment. "I dunno man," he muttered. "Don't you think you are over reacting just a _little?"_

I knew the next thing I said would get him. "He's giving her the tree house."

"What?!" he demanded through his teeth. "He can't do that! That's...That's Dawson family history! I mean sure I was like a fetus when you guys built it but that's like my home away from home!"

"Yeah," I sighed. "Say goodbye to that."

"We _do_ need a new plan."

"I've got it," I said suddenly. "We need to get him alone."

Patrick's face lit up. "Yeah! We could-"

"Patrick! Come on, it's time for basketball practice!"

"Okay!" he called, then leaned over and hasily saying, "Let me know what happens."

"Patrick!" Mom called a little louder.

"I'm coming!" He said a little louder. "Jeez!" He ran into his room, a few seconds later running out, pulling his basketball shorts up.

"PATRICK!"

"I'M COMING MOM! I AM PULLING MY PANTS UP AS WE SPEAK! I AM COMING DOWNSTAIRS! I AM GOING OUT THE DOOR AS WE SPEAK! I AM-" his voice was cut off when the door slammed shut.

I rolled my eyes in amusement and laughed.

Realizing there was no time to lose, I dashed downstairs and went to the backyard where Elliot was stretching.

"Hey, Elliot. What are you doing right now?" I asked in a rush. "Can I talk to you?

"Actually, can it wait? Because Kira's gonna be back soon, and I wanna sneak in a quick run here."

"No way! I was just thinking that... that I need to sneak in a run, too," I said. _Why are you going this to yourself?_ "I'll come with you."

"Er...okay, Ally," he said. "Are you sure you can handle it? It's five miles, are you down?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Sure. I got this."

* * *

 _You don't got this._

By the time we were done I was exhausted. My heart was beating so fast that I thought I might have a heart attack. My feet were already sore from dancing today, and now I felt as if I was just running on the bones of my legs that that they were going to break at any moment and turn to dust. Sweat dripped down my face and it was hard to keep up. When we first started running, it How does he have so much energy? I completely lost sight of Austin (yes, he was with us) at the beginning.

I panted, finally managing to catch up. "Hey Champ, how are you holding up?" he asked, stopping. _Thank the Lord! We are taking a break!_

"Great, great!" I panted, trying to be enthusiastic but I was dying in the inside. "Woah! I love it! I love running!"

"Hey, Elliot. Earlier, at the house, I wanted to talk to you about Kira..." I started.

"Actually, I'm glad you're bringing this up," he smiled, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"You are? Good. Great." I hitched for breath as I put my hands on my knees.

"Yeah, sure. I mean, Alls, how can we not talk about this, right?"

"Right! Because she's not just marrying you, Elli, she's marrying ALL of us. We all have to put up with her."

"But I couldn't do it unless I knew I had your support on this thing," he continued as if he didn't hear what I was telling him.

He was wrong. I had always supported him. But this...this I wasn't prepared for at all. "In that case, Elli, Elliot..." I swallowed, taking a few more breaths and putting my hand on his shoulders only to feel sudden pain come to my foot. "Camp!"

"I know what you're about to say, and it means the world to me that you'd actually open up your heart and bring her into our family like that. Seriously."

This was just sad now. Here I was, finally getting the guts to actually tell my brother about Kira, and my stupid foot had to cramp up; and now Elliot was completely clueless. I was about to walk off the crap but I heard that voice again that made me shiver.

"What's up children? I thought we were running a marathon here." His voice was teasing, and I couldn't help but smile at that. At least he was cool about it. He was running in place, refusing not to stop, sweat dripping from top to bottom. But like I said before, he always looked cute.

"We were..." I panted. "We were just taking a break."

"Breaks are for the weak!"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Who are you calling weak?"

"I was kidding," he laughed. "You okay Ally?"

"I'm fine," I assured him. "I'll be fine."

"In that case, let's sprint the rest!"

 _No. God no._ "Yeah!" Of course, my brain didn't listen to a single thing that voice in my head was saying. "Wahoo! Let's do this!"

* * *

"C'mon honey, c'mon, we are almost there," Mom said calmly as we made our way inside. My vision was completely blurred. Long story short I fell into an ant hill when I was trying to catch up with Austin and Elliot.

Mom and Dad set me down on one of the chairs in the kitchen. There was dirt from my head to my toes. I was itchy _everywhere_.

"Ally, what happened to you?!" a shocked voice asked. Kira.

"I uh...took a short cut."

"Through an ant hill," I heard Patrick say, sounding like he was on the verge of giggling.

"It burns," I wailed.

"I knew we should've left her." I saw a blurred version of Austin standing in front of me.

"Oh, great, Austin you're here," I laughed nervously, reaching out but I felt nothing.

"I'm here actually," he said.

"Blurred vision, can't be good," Dad said.

"The ants must've carried away her contacts," Elliot said.

"The bad news is that she hurt her leg," Mom said. "The good news is that she can't feel it because of the ant bites."

 _My leg is injured?_

I put my head down. "Guys, it's not that big of a deal, I- Ah!" I felt sudden pain to my forehead when it collide with Austin's.

"I'm so sorry it was my fault for stranding there, I-" he began to apologize.

Mom interrupted him by putting an ice pack on his forehead. "Okay we are going to get you to a saver area." They disappeared into the living room.

I knew I couldn't see him well, but I wanted him to stay. Not even for a long time. I just wanted him to stay.

"What do you say we do, Kira?"

"Well, with this many bites, she could go into anaphylactic shock!"

"You're the nurse here," Dad said. "What do we need to do?"

"I need lard, stat!"

"I need lard," Dad said, pushing past Patrick, "stat!"

"Who are you talking to?!" Patrick asked in confusion, hurrying after Dad.

* * *

 **Well...that was long. I'm really sorry if this chapter was way too much like the movie. Hopefully you liked it anyway :)**


	6. The Little Things

"I can't see, I can't see..." I whispered, feeling around for my towel. I had just gotten out of the shower. Hopefully I didn't do anything stupid like putting body wash on my head. I was blind as a bat right now, and I was no longer numb. My leg throbbed.

"Mom! Dad!" I called but no one answered. "Hello?! Patrick? Elliot? Can...Can someone help me?"

"Ally?" I heard someone ask. Austin.

"Austin?" I called back. "Where is everyone else?"

"They went to go get pain killers for your leg. Do you feel anything yet?"

"It hurts like hell," I said. "Why did they all have to go?" I asked more to myself than him. I mean, it wasn't a really big deal, I'm just clumsy; I've gotten used to that.

"Dunno, do...do you need help?" he asked hesitantly.

Yes. "No! I don't need any help!" I mean I was in the shower. Naked. I clenched my teeth together, limping out but I slipped and fell right on my injured leg. As I struggled to get up I heard Austin.

"Ally! Are you okay?!"

"I...I fell," I called back, trying not to cry. "I don't think I can get up."

"Do you want me to..."

I already knew what he was going to say. "No! Don't come in!"

"But you can't get up!"

"But I'm...in the shower."

"I'll close my eyes then."

"Then how are you suppose to see?!"

"I got this," he insisted.

"Don't come in," I pleaded.

"I'm coming in."

I groaned in frustration. Why was he being so stubborn about this? I was already insecure enough about my body. I didn't even like people in my _family_ seeing it, let alone a guy that I had a crush on for God knows how long. When I saw him standing there, even after ten years, I knew I never stopped liking him no matter what I tried to convince myself.

I jumped when I heard the door unlock and I reached for the curtain, somehow thinking if I closed it completely then he'd just go away.

"My eyes are closed," he told me, feeling his way towards me. "I swear."

I felt a warm, fuzzy towel wrap around me. "There you go," he said gently. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Er...okay."

His eyes opened. "Alright," he grabbed my hands and heaved me up. I was so close to getting out of the tub but slipped a little again. "Careful," he said, "one foot at a time. That's it." I felt warmth spread through me. He was so patient. With everyone. I didn't have to slightest idea how he did that. If he was in my situation, I thought, he'd be handling it way better than I was. He'd probably have a better idea than me, too. Part of me thought he'd just suck it up and just make peace with Kira, and it's dawned on me more than once that maybe that's what I should do myself, but I just can't seem to let it go.

We settled down on the couch, panting. "Thanks. You really saved me back there."

"It was nothing," he smiled. "Is your leg okay?" Sharp pain spread through my leg when he reached out to touch it and I winced away.

"Ooh!" I suddenly noticed how babish I sounded so I tried to play it off as a laugh.

Austin only let out a small chuckle, but he still looked concerned. "Sorry."

A surprisingly comfortable silence came over us. It wasn't awkward like those kinds where you just wanted to run away. I saw him looking at me from the corner of my eye while I was looking at the floor, resisting the urge to smile. He was still looking. I couldn't tell if he was smiling or he was concerned; all I knew was that he was looking at me, and I liked that. Back in high school he didn't even seem to _want_ to look at me or make any kind of contact. It was almost as if he was embarrassed to talk to people like me. I mean, I would be.

Even though in some sense I liked the silence, I decided to break it.

"So," I started, "Are you excited for the wedding?"

"Of course. I mean, Elliot it my best friend. How could I not be? He has an amazing fiancé."

My heard clenched a little. "Y-Yeah, she's pretty great…"

"Hey, are you okay?"

 _Tell him._ "It's just...in high school...Kira was...different," I tried to explain without actually telling him.

He stayed quiet for a moment. "It's sorry about junior prom."

"Huh?"

"You don't remember? It was Kira's idea. We all pretended you weren't there when you tried to talk to us," he said quietly. "I'm...I'm really sorry about that."

Then I remembered. I was humiliated that night. "It's okay," I dismissed. It was easy to forgive him, but why was it so hard to forgive Kira? _Because she ruined your life_ , a voice in my head said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Austin didn't ruin my life, he made a mistake. A mistake of hanging with the wrong crowd. "I had my glasses then."

Suddenly he got onto his feet. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot! I'll be right back!"

I shook my head in amusement. I love how excited he got about the little things. I always been told that the little things matter, and judging by the way Austin got so excited about the little things, I'm sure he was told the same thing.

I ran a hand through my damp hair and smiled to myself a little bit. My worries about Kira were starting to fade when I thought about him. It really was the little things that mattered.

"I'm back!" Austin said, causing me to snap out of my thoughts.

"Oh! That you are." I laughed nervously.

He revealed what he was hiding behind his back. It was what looked like the case for my old glasses, and sure enough, it was. "Your parents wanted me to give these to you because your contacts won't be in until the day you leave."

Oh no. I'd have to wear glasses for the rest of the time I was here. I _hated_ glasses. Not only were they uncomfortable but they gave me terrible headaches. They were the big round kind, too. Mom picked them out when I first realized I needed glasses, when I was about fourteen; the summer before high school.

What were the odds of my family keeping those after all these years when they knew I had contacts?

"May I?" Austin asked, and I nodded slowly. He smiled and took the glasses out of the case. "On they go." He gently placed them behind my ears. "Perfect fit," he said quietly.

It was a wonder that they fit.

Austin was a wonder, too.


	7. Bridal Shower (The Bride's True Colors)

**Hey guys. I'm sorry this took so long I've been having writers block for all of my stories lately :(**

 **Hope you are still reading. Enjoy!**

* * *

I sighed as I looked into the rear view mirror of Mom's car. "Honey, stop with the picking. It's making me nervous," Mom said. We were on our way to Kira's bridal shower, and I looked terrible. Glasses, ant bites (that looked exactly like pimples)...just like high school all over again.

"I can't help it!" I protested, feeling like I might cry. "I mean look at them Mom, they look like pimples! And my hair. Don't even get me started on the glasses." I bit back hot tears. "It's literally like nothing has changed since high school."

"C'mon Ally. They're just ant bites, and they will go away," she assured. She stopped at a red light and put up the rear view mirror so I could no longer see my face.

I picked at them once again, trying to make it low key but Mom's seem to notice everything.

"If you don't pick them," she added, furrowing her eyebrows.  
I quickly moved my hands away and set them on my lap. It was silent for a few moments until Mom spoke up. "You know soon it'll be all over and you'll have your happily ever after."

"Happily ever after only exists in fairytales, Mom. High school was a horror movie, and this has been the sequel," I murmured, looking out the window.

"Oh, cheer up, Ally," Mom tried, trying to get me to face her but I jerked my head back, keeping my eyes outside and my eyebrows furrowed, suddenly in no mood to talk to her or anyone. I just wanted to crawl in a whole and just live there for a while. It wouldn't be so bad. Away from people for a while. Yeah. I like that plan. It's better than the dumb plan that I came up with, plus I lost money from paying Patrick that I could only hope he gave back to me.

I could feel Mom's eyes on me, still. But her head instantly turned when the street light switched to green and the car accelerated. "Don't you think it's a little weird that Kira doesn't remember me?" I asked suddenly, even though I know the question itself was a dumb question because of course she remembered me. I _knew_ she remembered me. There was evidence, now. Too bad I didn't have some secret camera that could record every piece of evidence to prove that she _did_ remember me.

Mom shrugged. "I didn't remember half of the people I went to high school with."

"Yeah but you're old."

The car stopped again when the street light chnaged to red and Mom cocked her head and glared at me. "Gee thanks," she said flatly.

I shot her an apologetic glance. "No offense, I...I just think it's weird, you know? Marino High wasn't that big."

"It was ten years ago Ally. And you guys didn't really know each other, did you?"

I bit my lip. I wouldn't say we knew each other but we weren't complete strangers. We were more like enemies, _nemesis's._ "Well...no." When she didn't say anything I continued. "But you were the famous Penny Dawson. Everyone loved you! You...You couldn't relate to what I went through, Mom."

"Ally, no one goes through high school without someone telling them they can't do it."

" _You_ got bullied? By who?"

She suddenly looked nervous. "No one that I can remember."

"Why do I feel like you're lying?" I smirked.

"You know what I always say" she changed the subject. "Everyone deserves-"

"-A second chance," I finished. "I know."

* * *

I didn't know what to expect when I got to the bridal shower. I had never been to one of these. I wasn't sure what to say to anyone, because I barely knew any of the women here; and I felt if I said anything I'd look stupid, and that's exactly what happened.

When we first arrived Mom decided to just leave me alone with five random girls.

Who happened to all be pregnant.

And the worst thing was that I recognized all of them, and I remembered their names, which I doubted they even remembered _mine_. "Hi there!" one of them said. Her name was Brooke, I remembered. She and Austin used to date but one day I heard him talking to Dez, saying that she was too clingy so they broke up. I guess she moved on, considering she was pregnant.

"You look familiar..." Chelsea said. "Have I seen you before?"

"I'm Ally Dawson."

They stared at me blankly. "I went to Marino High."

"Nope," Cassidy shook her head. "Don't remember."

I sighed. "I was the school mascot."

"Ohh!" Jane said excitedly. "Yeah! You signed up for the cheerleader squad and Lizzy accidentally kicked you in the face!"

"Sorry about that," Lizzy said sheepishly.

"It's okay..." I cleared my throat. "So, um, when are you due?"

"January 18th," they said in unision.

I assumed it as a joke so I just went with it. "Wow. Is that such a weird coincidence?

"Oh, no, no," Layla said. "We planned it in college."

My eyes widnened. "Oh, you're serious," I realized. _Okay then._

Kira suddenly appeared. "Oh, hi Ally!" she smiled. "I'm glad you could make it. I was getting worried. Girls, this is Ally, Elliot's sister."

"Yeah, we were just telling her about our kids. How we planned it in college and everything," Jane explained.

"And Kira won't be far behind!" Lizzy exclaimed.

"Oh..." Kira turned red.

"You know you will!" Cassidy squealed.

"Stop talking about my stomach!" Kira laughed.

Once they calmed down (seriously, they were acting like little girls), Chelsea asked. "So, how about you, Ally? Any little ones?"

"Uh...Not that I know of." I laughed. I guess I was the only one that though it was funny, because no one else laughed. That's pretty much my life in one sentence. Anything that I find funny no one laughs at.

As the party went on, I now just wanted to go home. Being my stupid self, I felt kind of bad that I didn't get Kira anything for her bridal shower, but she got a lot of other things like vases and perfume.

I sighed and cupped my hand in my chin.

"Is everything okay Ally-cat?" Grandma asked. We were sitting at ones of the round tables.

"Grandma Shorty, does it get any easier?" I asked.

"What, dear?"

"This! Life. Everything," I explained.

She took both of my hands. "Ally, don't let the way those girls treated you bring you down. We are our experiences. That terrible time made you the woman you are today."

I took a few moments to really understand her words. And the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Suddenly I knew what I needed to do. "You know what? You're right. You're absolutely right Grandma. I'll be right back." Feeling more confident, I got up, deciding enough was enough and confront Kira. I had seen her wander into the restroom, so that's exactly where I went.

When I opened the door, there she was. Putting lip gloss on. I stood over her, and she smiled when she said me.

"Hey, sis. Isn't this a blast?" she asked, still smiling.

"Look..." I hesitated, "sis, I've had enough of this can make this real easy on yourself. All you have to do is apologize." I took a deep breath. "If you apologize, I'll keep my mouth shut." She looked unconvinced. "About everything," I added.

What she said was the complete opposite of what I was expecting. "Fine. Sorry," Kira said quickly. She was still smiling.

I was outraged, but I tried to sound someome calm. "That's _it_? That...That's your big apology? All right. Well, you've made your trundle. Maybe Elliot should lie in it and hear a few of the details. Because I don't think he'll be too happy about-"

"I'd think very carefully before I did anything crazy, sis," she interrupted, now uncomfortably close to me. "Who do you honestly think your brother will believe?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but I knew the sad truth. He _wouldn't_ believe me. He wouldn't believe a word. It'd go through his right ear and out his left.

"That's what I thought," she chuckled.

I tried to still be confident. "No. You're not doing this to me. I'm not the same four-eyed acne-faced girl you pushed around in high school."

"Really? Have you taken a look in the mirror lately?"

Before I could respond, she pushed passed me.

I took a good look in the mirror. It only made me feel worse.

* * *

I rambled everything in detail of what happened today to Patrick and he watched with wide eyes.

He rubbed his hands together. "Oohh this is juicy!"

"Patrick! This isn't some soap opera. This is _real._ She actually _said_ these things to me," I pointed out.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand anyways," I said quietly. "Sometimes I forget you're only twelve."

"I understand more than you think. And I am going to do all in my power to help you. We just need to come up with a different plan," he said.

I smiled, feeling slightly better. "This is why you're my favorite brother." I gave him a hug and went laid in bed on my phone.

I jumped when my phone went off.

My eyes widened and I felt myself reddening when I realized I had gotten a text from Austin.

 ** _Hey :)_**

I gave him my number the other day, but I didn't expect him to text me first. It seemed like I always had to be the one to start the conversation.

 _Hi_

 ** _Everything okay?_**

 _Absolutely,_ I lied, honestly not wanting to talk about it.

 ** _Good. Dez and I were going to the beach tomorrow with some friends. Wanna join? You can bring Patrick and Elliot if you want_**

I could use some cheering up, I thought. I mean, today was terrible. _Sure. What time?_

 ** _About noon. Yes?_**

 _Okay. I'll see you there :)_

I smiled, putting my phone on my chest.

Tomorrow was just going to be a free day. I wasn't planning on seeing Kira so I wasn't going to invite Elliot. I would invite Patrick, definitely. But tomorrow is going to be for me.

* * *

 **I know it sucks haha. I was going to add more but I need sleep haha.**

 **Don't forget to review!**

 **ATTENTION TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE A FAN OF THE FOSTERS, GET OVER HERE. I KNOW THERE HAS TO BE SOME PEOPLE. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DONT WATCH IT YOU SHOULD GO DO THAT...IF NOT FINE GOOD BYE I WILL SEE YOU NEXT TIME STAY GOLD!**

 **Okay, so for you Fosters fans, I just thought I'd let you know that I'm working on three different stories. Two multi-chapters and one one-shot. One is focused on Jonnor, the other Mat and Mariana (not sure what their ship name is) and the other Brallie. Just thought I'd put that out there.**

 **That's all I'm giving away because I'm evil.**


	8. A Nice Game Of Volleyball

"Ally, are you ready yet?" Patrick asked for the thousandth time from downstairs.

"Hold on!" I said, quickly slipping my suit on, grabbing a beach towel, sunscreen, and a frisbee. Patrick had his bag, too. He brought what he called "essentials", which were mostly snacks along with a fishing net because apparently he planned on catching some fish and eating them for dinner; and some other weird stuff he put in there. I got the important stuff like water to wash out that salty taste and a towel for us to sit on and a book for me to read.

To be honest, I didn't really like the beach. Sand got everywhere, and it only reminded me of the Hawaii trip when I got nailed in the eye by that stupid baby octopus. I hated how every time I got in the water I had to use every inch of strength to to get past a wave. And every time salty, dirty sea water seemed to make it's way into my mouth and down my throat. That is not my definition of fun.

But I guess it was according to Austin, him being the one to invite me. I was happy he did. Heck, I was even happy that he actually texted me. Me. The girl who got kicked in the face when trying to join the cheerleading squad. "Ally! C'mon!" an impatient Patrick cut through my thoughts.

With a rolled of my eyes and an "I'm coming" I quickly made my way downstairs.

"What were you doing up there so long? Eesh, girls away take so much time to get ready!" he sighed, opening the door.

"Bye guys! Be careful! Make good choices," Mom called from the kitchen where her and dad were eating lunch.

"Mind your sister, Pat," Dad said.

"Okay," Patrick called back. For some reason it was hard for me to believe that he actually would. Brothers. I've always wanted a sister. Out of all the sisters Elliot could have gave me he just had to settle for the girl that hates my guts. Well, I hate her guts too so we're even.

I quickly glanced at Patrick then focused back on the road. Maybe he'd give me a good sister-in-law. He doesn't even have to try. Mom always tells me that he's always inviting girls over. He's definitely a ladies man. That's something he and Elliot have in common. Why couldn't I be like that? Why was I always the girl who never got any guys attention because I was too busy trying to get Austin's? I knew for a fact that he didn't give a crap about me in high school. Why does he suddenly now? I mean, he texted me and invited me to the beach.

There were so many things in my life that don't make sense right now, and that's one of them.

"What are you thinking about?" Patrick asked quietly, making me jump in my seat.

I didn't answer. It wasn't a long drive to the beach, of course, only about two miles. As we got out of the car it dawned on me that we might have not brought enough sunscreen. The sun was beating down and I felt as though my face was going to melt off. Miami in December. No snow. I began to feel a little homesick. My stomach fluttered when I thought about the blankets of snow New York was getting.

I wonder what Trish was doing. She told me she would FaceTime me today. I don't think that was going to happen, and I knew exactly why. I grinned. I could just see her now in our cozy apartment, sleeping with the blanket I knitted her out of yarn for Christmas last year. She told me that that blanket was like sleeping on a cloud. The second she put it over herself, you'd think she was in a coma. The only way you could wake her up from her coma was to take that blanket off. Sometimes I regret even knitting that blanket, because it kind of took over her life. She'd always oversleep and sometimes she'd even sneak it to class when she knew the lesson of the day was going to be very boring.

Even though it was super hot, a small breeze hit my face and the wind blew through my curls. I smiled and closed my eyes. The wind felt nice. I couldn't help but still feel as sense of joy that I was home. I knew that I've been home for a week, but the excitement was still there. Being surrounded by my family, even if Kira was a prick. I still loved being out here for a while. I knew that in a week it'd all be over and I'd return to my ordinary life.

I winced when I felt Patrick painfully nudge me in the rip. "Someone's giving you the goo-goo eyes," he smirked, and my heart increased dramatically and my breaths became quicker when I realized it was Austin Moon who was staring at me with his huge hazel eyes. And, finally, they weren't full of pity.

He waved at me, almost shyly.

As Patrick and I got closer, I realized how many people were actually here. THIS is just just a few friends? There had to be almost ten people. And they were all of the popular people in middle school. Austin laughed with them as though he didn't see us approach. He just looked so natural with them. It reminded me so much of high school. It almost felt like a high school reunion. I recognized all of them immediately. I saw Dez, first, then Carrie, his girlfriend. Then I saw Lizzy, the girl who kicked me in the face by accident, then Cassidy, Kira's best friend. Then Jace, Jane's boyfriend and apparently the father of her child. I was still weirded out by the pregnancy pact thing between all of these girls. They were all here with their boyfriends, looking like they were going to pop at any time. They were all Kira's bridesmaids, except Cassidy, who was her maid of honor. I was one of her bridesmaids and the only one that wasn't pregnant. Not that I know of. Hehe.

Carrie wasn't pregnant, either.

Not that I know of.

Okay I'll stop.

I knew she was invited to the wedding because she and Kira were friends, but I guess she didn't make that pact, which I thought was smart. She was very friendly, too. She and Dez both hugged me right away before anyone could say anything. They hugged Patrick, too and Patrick looked like he was in heaven as he inhaled Carrie's perfume and touched her soft blond hair. Manwhore. I furrowed my eyebrows at him and mouthed him "stop". She didn't seem to take any mind to it as she pulled away.

She had the fashion sense of Dez. That hadn't changed at all. The weird fashion sense, like wearing a skirt over weird-looking jeans and a shirt with a kitten on it that said "I'm purrfect". Her outfit was topped with a pink hat that it looked like she had knitted herself. It sort of reminded me of the yarn I used for Trish's blanket.

"Excuse me," Austin politely made his way between everyone and once he reached me he smiled. "I'm glad you could make it," he said, giving me a small huge and when I open my eyes I was still in his embrace and Patrick winked at me. I blushed, quickly pulling away from him and smiling nervously.

"How about a game of frisbee?" I asked, about to get it out of my bag but I was interrupted by the voice that made me hitch for breath.

Kira. "Don't be silly Ally," said her fake voice. What did she want? I still didn't completely stand up. I saw her from the corner of my eye but my back stayed arched over and my hand was almost touching the frisbee. I couldn't move. I was stuck. Everyone was giving me strange looks. My first thought was to get out of there quick. At least Elliot was there, but I still just wanted to leave. I promised myself that this would be a day where I wouldn't have to worry about Kira. I wanted to feel like I did only moments ago when the breeze hit my face and Austin looked at me without sympathy. But that was over now, because he was staring at me with so much sadness and pity.

"What about a nice game of volleyball?" She seemed to pull a volleyball out of nowhere. I scowled. She knew I sucked at volleyball. When we did that unit in gym I could barely get it over the net. "Remember volleyball in high school, Ally? Such good times" She was testing me. Kira knew that I was always the worst on my team. No one wanted to play with me because I had "slow reaction time". I hated gym.

I finally was able to get up with Patrick's help. He gave me a soft, sympathetic smile and mouthed "breathe". I nodded, taking a few breaths before standing up straight. "Okay, Kira. Let's play."

It wasn't even five minutes into the game and I was already sweating. My team consisted of Austin, Patrick, Jace, Carrie, and Dez. Kira, Elliot, Jane, Chelsea, Cassidy, and Dallas were on the opposite team. The rest of us who weren't playing shouted out the score. I knew that we were losing. "Ally, you have to move in this game," Jace said.

I almost scowled, wanting to say something really nasty. One of the worst things someone could tell me was that I wasn't trying. Instead I smiled and nodded. Our team rotated again. I never understood why but I guess that means we got a point? I sighed, still wanting to go home.

The best person on our team was Carrie. She could easily get the ball over because of how tall she was. Jace was pretty good, too, and really competitive. Patrick tried even though he kept on muttering "I hate this". Then there was Dez, which I wasn't sure quite how to describe what he was even doing. He seemed to not know where he was or know what he was doing. At least I had some clue, and tried to get the ball over the net.

The game was finally coming to an end when I heard Lizzy call out, "25-24." We were one point less than them. I was secretly glad that the game was over. I stepped on Austin's foot twice and accidentally slapped him in the face while trying to serve the ball over. Surprisingly I was in better shape than he was by the end of the rally.

"Let's win this guys!" Dez said excitedly, although he did nothing the entire time but I admired his spirit.

My eyes widened when I realized it was my turn to serve. At this point it'd be all or nothing. Every time I've served I've never got it through the net. This was it. Kira bent her knees, giving me the "I'm going to destroy you" look that always made me freeze in high school, and for a moment I did until I felt a warm hand on my shoulder that melted my frozen figure.

"Ally," Austin whispered, "it'd be better for you to do an underhand serve. You need a lot of power to do an overhand serve." He paused. "Here. Hold it like this. Make sure your arm is straight, now." He formed his hand a certain way, and I did it too. "Good," he said. "Now I want you to punch it as hard as you can."

I swallowed, staring up at him.

He must have seen the worry in my eyes because what he did next surprised me. "Hey, you'll be fine. You got this. Remember, you are the champion." He kissed my cheek, making my cheeks go red. That wouldn't be the first time today.

I grinned and nodded nervously. He gave me a thumbs up. "As hard as you can," he mouthed.

"As hard as I can," I repeated. As hard as I can. I looked at it for a long moment as the team waited patiently for me to serve. As hard as I can, I repeated again and again in my mind, staring at the ball, then back at Kira. I then thought as the ball as if it were Kira, and it got over the net really quick. It went high, too, and far. Even Kira, the volleyball master, couldn't get it. She tried to set but it went over her head and rolled far away. I smiled in triumph, proud that I made it.

"We beat them! Good job Ally!" Carrie chirped and hugged me. I high fived Jace and Patrick.

"Well well well," Elliot smiled, going under the net and approaching me to congratulate me. "What do ya know? Good job, sis."

I nodded in thanks, not used to this attention. "I knew you had it in you!" Austin said excitedly, hugging me. We were both sweaty and gross, but it didn't really matter at the moment.

"Yeah, sis," added Kira, and I tried not to cringe.

"I'm getting hungry," Chelsea said after a few moments.

"Lunch is on me," Austin said.

"You...You don't have to do that, Austin," I said.

He shrugged and smiled. "I want to."

* * *

Once we got to Shredders instant memories came back to me. I used to come here all the time. This place was super old now.

Austin pulled up a seat for me just as he did on my first night back home when I ruined dinner. He sat next to me. It was silent for a moment until I realized that he grabbed the knifes and forks from the napkin they were wrapped around.

"Let's move those, shall we?" he asked, more to himself than me.  
I raised an eyebrow, not catching what he was doing. "I think those are mine."

"Shh-sh…" he shushed me gently. "Danger… It goes to the right. Danger... Ooh, sharp. Danger..."

"Yes." I nodded half in confusion and half in understanding. "What exactly are you doing?

"I'm just... I'm creating a safe zone for you," he explained.

"Oh, for me? I won't! I'm not gonna…" I shifted and restarted my sentence. "I'm...I'm totally safe, I promise."

"There's nothing safe about you, Dawson," he grinned, shaking his head.

I scoffed. "Why do you say that?"

"My head? My feet? My face?"

"I got you three different times? God, I'm so embarrassed…" I muttered, cursing myself. I felt as if I were a jinx. Maybe I was.

We all ate like animals. I must have been really hungry because I was almost done with my food in a matter of minutes. Austin was looking at me the whole time. I recluently slowed down, not wanting to look like a slob. I nibbled on my chicken tender, not wanting to meet his gaze.

"Ally, over here!" a voice whispered. I turned and it was Patrick bending over next to me.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What are you doing on the ground?!"

He ignored my question. "You're blowing this. You just have to go for it!" he exclaimed. "Tell him how you feel," he said sincerely. I shot a glance at Austin, who was eating. He even looked person when he was eating, and I looked like a pig. Telling him how I felt was easier said than done. It wasn't an option.

"Why's Patrick on the floor?" Elliot asked in confusion.

"Uhhhh," he looked around. "I uhhhh...dropped my fork! Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair and looked at me pleadingly. I smiled in amusement as I picked up a fort and dropped it. "Found it!" Patrick said, louder than nessecary then ran back to his chair.

* * *

The sun was starting to set. We had been swimming ever since lunchtime. Almost everyone had went home except me, Austin, and Elliot. I was thankful when Kira went home on her own and Elliot told her he wanted to stay a little longer.

Currently we were siting on the beach towel I brought. Austin and I were so close I could barely breathe. I knew what was going on. Patrick was helping me with Austin and Elliot was helping Austin with me. "The sunset is beautiful, right?" I broke the silence.

"Yeah," Austin agreed. I heard Elliot nudge him as if he wanted him to say more. "W-Well the sunset isn't the only beautiful thing on this beach."

I blushed and smiled. "Let's go for a walk," I said.

* * *

 **Guess who finally got inspiration?! Meeee! Sorry the waits have been kind of long on all of my stories but I hope you still enjoy reading.**

 **QOTD (just because I haven't done them in so long): What's your all time favorite A &A story on this website? I kinda know what everyone is gonna say but whatever (cough cough *The Bad Boy That Lives Next Door *cough cough*) Not that there's anything wrong with that it's a good story.**

 **MA: But me personally I'll have to go with Ally Dawson's Secret 😍😍😍 😍**

 **Who remembers that story? It was so amazing but so sad oml. If you haven't read that I would go to that RIGHT NOW!**

 **Stay goldddd 💕**


	9. Dirt

As we walked down the beach I tried to think of something to say. I opened my mouth many times but my voice failed me every time. _C'mon, what are you so afraid of? a voice rang in my head, making my eardrums hurt. It was YOUR idea to take a walk because you need to tell him how you feel! How you've felt for so long…_

I winced slightly when I felt his hand brush against mine.

"S-Sorry," he stuttered, and I nodded.

"S'kay." A chilly breeze hit my face. Miami was bipolar. One minutes it's sunny and the next it's cold and gloomy. I shivered.

"It's um...kinda cold huh?" Austin asked, thankfully wanting to make conversation. All I could do was nod my head again because I didn't know what to say. From the corner of my eye I saw him take off his jacket.

"No. No, you...you don't have to do that," I said, but before I could finish my sentence warm spread through me. The jacket was so warm and comforting. I let out a sigh of content, my protests long forgotten.

"Feel better?" he asked, amusement filling his voice.

I nodded sheepishly, but still remained silent. And that's how it was for the rest of the time.

* * *

I woke up at about 11 the next morning when I heard Snowflake barking. I groaned, then looked out the window to see what was going on. Kira and Elliot were playing basketball in the parking lot. Kira's back was hunched over as she tried to block him, but Elliot was persistent. He quickly stole the ball from her and did a jump shot. Kira smiled and hugged him as Snowflake barked. Kira met my gaze and waved at me. I wanted to flip her off, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, so I waved back and closed my curtain.

I sat in my bed for a moment, deep in thought. For the thousandth time I wondered if Kira really did love Elliot. I couldn't help but think she didn't. Loving Elliot as a husband and her loving me as a sister were two completely different things. I knew she didn't love me like like a sister. I hadn't thought of a new plan yet, and time was running out. If I could some how find some dirt on her, maybe, just maybe I can save my brother. All his life he's been protecting us, and now it's my turn to protect him.

After getting dressed, I made my way downstairs. I reheated mac n cheese and I wanted to gag. Patrick was making it. I pinched my nose. "Don't you have anything better to eat?" I asked.

"This was the only thing in the fridge," he explained, taking it out of the microwave and getting ketchup out of the pantry. I raised my eyebrow. "What? It needs flavor." He shrugged and squeezed the ketchup and it oozed out of the bottle and onto the mac and cheese. He stirred it contently.

I gaged, knowing that there had to be something else to eat in the fridge. The only thing I could find was hot dogs. "We ought to go shopping," I called from the fridge, not sure who I was even talking to because mom and dad were at work and Patrick was listening to blasting music on his DS. I didn't even know that you _could_ have music on a DS but Patrick is good with technology. The last time I saw Patrick's math grade, it wasn't pretty. But a few weeks later I saw him check it online and it was boosted up to an A. That made me wonder if there was something he did to hack the grading system. He could get a lot of trouble for that, but if I didn't tell mom and dad, maybe in return he can somehow help me with my situation. First we needed a new plan.

Just as I was starting to brainstorm a new plan, Kira and Elliot burst the door open and I jumped. They were talking up a storm. I stained my ears to listen.

"Hey, Kira, remember the times capsule we had to do in our senior year?"

My eyes widened. The time capsule! All of us had to do that! I was a sophomore while Elliot was a senior. We weren't allowed to show any of our friends the times capule. It was simple. All we had to do was make a video about our lives at Marino High. At the end of the year we buried it, never to be seen again by 2095, were students of the future could see how our lives were lived. The project was actually kind of fun, although 90% of my video was 16-year-old me running my tongue through my braces, which is very cringeworthy. But Kira's? I'm sure it was full of loads of evidence on how much of a jerk she was in high school. If I could only I could dig it up without anyone finding out…

There was a small pause after Elliot asked about the times capsule. I closed the fridge, trying to be quiet as possible as I tiptoed a little bit closer, folding my arms. The only thing I could hear was Patrick smacking him hot dog obnoxiously. I shushed him. He shrugged innocently and ate more quietly.

"Oh...yeah," Kira said, seeming nervous. "Yeah, I do," she let out a small, fake laugh. ¨Why do you ask?¨

"I don't know, I just thought of it, and I never asked you what kind of things did you say? Did you mention me?" I could almost see him winking and I couldn help but roll my eyes in amusement.

"I didn't really know you then silly," said Kira, this time seeming more amused than anything. "It's not like it matters anyway. I just want to focus on what's happening now." She kissed his cheek, from what I could hear, and went upstairs.

I ran up to Patrick and snacked his headphones out of his ears. "Pat, did you hear that? Well, of course you didn't hear it. Kira and Elliot were talking about the times capsule!"

"What times capsule?"

I groaned, but then remembered that he was really young when our school made us do that. "If we could some how dig it up, we could-"

"We? I'm not going to dig up some times capsule from Marino High in 2006."

I frowned. "But you said you would help me!"

"Ally, this is going too far," he said. "How do you know that Kira's video is anything like you think it would be?" Maybe he had a point.

"We could watch it first," I suggested.

"If we don't get caught," he murmured. Suddenly the home phone rang, and Patrick got it.

"Dawson's residents, who's this?" there was a small pause. "Oh hey, Austin."

"Gimme the phone!" I said, quickly taking it put of Patrick's hand.

"Hey, um, Austin." I chuckled, unbelievably nervous.

"Hey," he sounded excited. "I know we just went to Shredders last night but they are having a Luau Party tonight. And, well, I was thinking...you know...maybe you wanna come with?" There was a couple moments of silence. "Just us?"

I took a few deeps breaths. My heart pounded and I thought I might drop the phone. "Are you...Are you asking me out?" I asked, barely even getting the words out.

"I guess I am." I could almost see him smiling that amazing smile.

Then I smiled. "I accept."

* * *

 **Sorry I've been out for so long! I've been busy. I hoped you liked it! If you have any suggestions that'd be awesome! Oh and if you have any ideas that were in the movie that you'd like me to incorporate in this story I'd be happy to do it!**

 **QOTD: What's your favorite ice cream?**

 **MA: Cookie Dough!**

 **Stay gold! 💕💕**


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